What He Knows
by GregUnplugged
Summary: After a major slip-up during the battle with Miracle Queen, Chat Noir is forced to deal with the consequences. ** WARNING: This story contains SPOILERS for events in the Season 3 finale! If you don't want to be spoiled, then please wait until you watch the finale before reading this story.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 _(from Adrien's POV)_**

Kagami and I spent nearly half an hour this afternoon sitting on the riverbank beside my fellow classmates, sharing an ice cream together and enjoying each others' company. It's wonderful to be with a girl I can be myself around, with no awkward feelings. Although I can't give her the type of relationship that she wants right now, she still means a great deal to me.

Meanwhile, further down the riverbank, I could see Marinette sitting alongside Luka, listening to him strum beautiful melodies for her on his guitar. I was truly happy to see her so at ease with someone. But at the same time, I desperately wished that that someone could be me. Especially now, after what happened earlier today.

Gorilla and Kagami's mother came by to pick us up about an hour ago. I told her I hoped she wouldn't get in trouble for running off from the hotel earlier, but she didn't act too concerned about it. I gave her an extra long kiss on the cheek before we departed, which I'm sure was disappointing for her since she was hoping for a proper kiss on the lips. But I'm just really confused about my feelings right now.

I sat at the dinner table by myself, staring at my food and stirring it with my fork. Other than a chicken leg, I left most of my meal untouched. I was actually hungry in spite of the ice cream, but I just had too much going on in my head at the moment. After about fifteen minutes had passed, I got up and walked back to my room.

I lay motionless in bed, staring blankly at reflections of streetlights on the ceiling. Since I hadn't heard anything from Plagg, I assumed he was still asleep inside of my backpack. All that I could hear was the repetitive tick-tick-tick of my alarm clock, until the moment I was snapped out of my trance by a knock on the door.

"Adrien, are you okay? I was concerned that you didn't eat any of your dinner."

"Yes Nathalie," I said. "My stomach has just been a little upset today is all. I took some antacids, I'll be fine. Thanks for asking."

"Alright then," she said. "If you want something later let me know." I heard her walk away from the door, and I returned my gaze to the ceiling. Of course, I wasn't able to tell her what's really been on my mind. It was something I hadn't even discussed with my kwami. I wondered, is it possible to be both ecstatic and terrified by something at the same time? I honestly had no idea what I should do next.

I thought back to earlier today, when we had taken down Hawk Moth's latest villain Miracle Queen, one created by Chloé's misplaced anger at Ladybug. It saddened me to see how my childhood friend's immaturity had led her down a path where she could be so easily manipulated by Hawk Moth. I sincerely hope that after she thinks about how much harm she's caused, she'll finally decide to make some positive changes in her life.

I still clearly remember the moment I saw the wasps. It was right after Kagami had attempted to kiss me that I saw them coming toward us. When I tried to protect her from them, I couldn't believe that she was willing to protect me instead by pushing me aside and letting herself become a target. When I found Ladybug underwater and learned about the situation, I was heartbroken to hear her blame herself for Master Fu's capture. I calmed her down, and we shared a beautiful, unforced embrace that made me feel closer to her than I have for quite a while.

I was so proud of her plan to combine her miraculous with the dragon, placing us into a protective water bubble. Then she smartly realized we needed to defeat Viperion first, since we would be unaware of how many times he had used Second Chance. Fortunately we had talked about this very situation a while back just in case we might one day face it. We decided we would individually come up with a variety of different possible attacks, then would mentally choose one of them at random. That way, no matter how often Viperion used his power, we figured we would eventually stumble upon a plan that worked. Which we evidently did.

Ladybug grabbed his bracelet from behind while I attacked him, then tossed it to me. I merged its power with my own, and activated Second Chance. I couldn't help but think that this was a second chance for me as well - because the last time I used it, I wasn't able to protect her. I had to use it several times, but we kept fighting until we finally defeated Miracle Queen. And then I watched as Master Fu anointed Ladybug to be the new guardian.

The only problem was, something had inadvertently happened during the fight that would change me forever. I'm still blaming myself for what happened, and trying to come to terms with it. When I later ran into Marinette at André's, and then went to sit with Kagami, I had to keep it together and pretend like everything was normal, even though the memories of the event continued to haunt me.

I finally drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, I looked over and saw that Plagg had joined me, and was now asleep on my pillow. I sat up slowly so as not to wake him, and then I just stared at the floor for the longest time. It would sure be easier if I just kept this to myself. But it wouldn't be at all fair to Ladybug. She needs to know what happened, and help me decide what we should do about it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **_**(from Marinette's POV)**_

I sat on my bed, staring at my new miracle box. I still couldn't figure out how it worked, since there didn't seem to be any way to open it, and sadly Tikki didn't know anything about it either. I had individually wrapped each of the other miraculous jewels in tissue paper, and was keeping them inside my desk for now- the turtle, the dragon, the bee, and all of the others that Chloé had attempted to use. Fortunately, weeks earlier, Master Fu had the foresight to provide me with my own copy of his decoded book, which I'm sure will contain clues to help me figure it out.

Thinking about Master Fu made me sad. He had become such a good friend and guide for me, and knowing that I would never see him again brought tears to my eyes. The one comfort I had was knowing that he was now with the woman he loves, and could live out the rest of his days in peace.

Since it had been a particularly trying and tiring day, I decided to wait until tomorrow to start tackling the mystery of the new box. I carefully slid it under my bed, then slid myself under the covers and settled in.

I was almost asleep when I heard a tapping on my bedroom window. I checked the alarm clock, sat up and listened carefully. The tapping started again. It was the deliberate sound of someone knocking on the glass, and I knew that could only be one person. But why would he come here, especially at two in the morning? I shook my head and let out a sigh, then pushed open the skylight and jumped up onto the balcony. I saw the end of his staff come over the edge of the railing, followed by him bouncing onto the roof in front of me.

"Hello, Princess, sorry to bother you at this hour," he said somberly. I wanted to be aggravated with him, but something in the tone of his voice made me concerned.

"Chat, what's going on?" There was a slight breeze as I stood there, and I brushed some stray hairs out of my face.

He looked away and closed his eyes. "I messed up big time," he said. "I think you should sit down for this."

My God, doesn't he have anyone else to talk to about his personal life? I've had to listen to him ask me about everything from relationship advice, which I know nothing about, to how to get stains out of clothes, which I'm much more qualified for. I have to say, I do find most of his visits surprisingly comforting, because it lets me see a much gentler side of his personality.

I sat on the edge of the beach chair, and he sat cross-legged on the ground in front of me. He was acting extremely nervous, and was clutching the back of his neck with his hands. He started rocking his head backward and forward while grumbling quietly under his breath. Okay, this was getting extremely annoying. "Chat," I told him, "just come out with it and say what's on your mind-"

"I know who you are!" he blurted out, almost with no control over how the words were coming out. I leaned back and felt my heart rate skyrocket.

"What do you mean?" I said nervously.

He calmed down, and put his hands onto his knees. Then in a much softer voice, he said, "I'm so sorry Marinette, but I know who you are. I know that you're Ladybug."

I stood up and backed away. "No I'm not!" I insisted. "What are you talking about? Why would you say something so crazy?"

He stood up and faced me, then placed his hand gently on my arm. "Please princess, let me explain. You have no idea how upset I am over this, and we have to talk about it."

I dropped the façade and just stared at him without responding. I wasn't ready to verbally acknowledge what he was saying yet, mainly out of fear. So with an apprehensive expression, I sat back down on the chair while keeping my eyes honed in on his face. He sat down again in front of me.

"Right after I first triggered Second Chance, I realized that Rena Rouge had created an illusion of the other heroes for you to fight, and I yelled out to warn you. Then you started flinging your yo-yo at each of the copies to disperse them, but the actual King Monkey ended up grabbing it and used his Uproar object to break the water bubble. Then the wasps swarmed in to attack you. Rena trapped me with her flute, and was making it nearly impossible for me to activate Second Chance. By the time I did, Pegasus had already removed your choker and earrings, and I... I saw you detransformed. I'm so, so sorry. I should have acted faster. And I didn't mean to look up. This isn't the way I wanted to find out. Now I'm afraid I'll need to give up my miraculous, and I don't want to do that. I've let you down, and I'm so pissed at myself!" He broke down in tears as I looked on.

I buried my face in my hands. I couldn't believe this was happening. What in the hell are we supposed to do now? Part of me just wanted to punch him for being so careless, but then I thought about how irresponsible I had been by accidentally leading Hawk Moth to the Master. He was genuinely torn up over this, and I knew it took a lot of courage for him to come tell me. Now that I'm the guardian, we're on our own, and we'll need to support each other more than ever.

I knelt down in front of him as he wept, and put my arms around him. "It's okay Kitty," I said in as reassuring of a voice as I could muster. "I forgive you, and I couldn't stand losing you. We'll make it through this somehow."

"Thank you Milady," he said, wiping tears from his eyes. "I don't deserve you." He stood up and walked back to the railing. "But you and I both know this could be a major problem, so we'll have to talk about it more."

"Yes we will," I agreed, "but not tonight. I have school tomorrow, and I still have to figure out the new miracle box. Drop by tomorrow evening around 8 o'clock, and we'll see what we can come up with."

"As you wish, Milady," he said. "After screwing up this badly, I promise I won't make you listen to any more of my lame flirtatious advances from now on. As for the cat puns, I sadly can't make the same promise. But in all seriousness, I'm so glad I came clean with you, and I'm willing to face whatever the consequences may be."

"Night Kitty," I said, giving him a slight smile as I headed back toward the skylight. I heard a whoosh behind me as he left. As comforting as I had tried to be with him, I knew that this indeed was a serious situation. I was getting a headache thinking about it, and I never did make it back to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_(From Adrien's POV)_

I propelled myself in the direction of home using my baton, making periodic stops to glance back toward the top of the bakery. I felt a warm feeling run through me. My lady… the girl I fell in love with… is really my clumsy, adorable friend Marinette. I had always felt something special around her, and now I understand the reason why. Now that I know the truth, I can see so many of Ladybug's qualities in her. If only I would have found out sooner, maybe I would have been able to develop the same chemistry with her that I now have with Kagami. And maybe I could have convinced her to fall in love with me, as Adrien. But is it too late for that now? She's told me over and over that she's in love with someone else, and now I can see that it must be Luka Coffaine. I certainly can't fault her for that. He's a really great guy, and seems to care about her a lot. Not to mention he's able to spend a lot more quality time with her than I ever could, considering how strict Father is.

I spent a lot of time playing back yesterday's events in my mind. Yes, I was restrained during the fight and was honestly struggling to get to my Second Chance. But did I do everything I could to avoid what happened? It goes without saying that I've wanted to know who Ladybug is ever since we met. So I had to ask myself, did I subconsciously hesitate? Accident or not, I let her become vulnerable and felt I had taken advantage of her, leaving me feeling filthy and disgusting. But after carefully considering the situation, I decided that what's done is done, and I have to stop beating myself up over it. All I've ever tried to do is protect her, and nothing will ever change that.

The question now is, should I tell her who I am? I want to, but I don't know if it's the right move. It's bad enough for me to know who she is, and I sure don't want to make things worse. Besides, and on a more personal level, I haven't been able to figure out yet exactly what Marinette thinks of me as Adrien. I mean, I've always considered her a good friend, but sometimes there's been a real disconnect between us. I'd like to work on bridging that divide by making her more comfortable around me. I can't force her to like me, but I still believe that we're meant to be together. And as much as it would pain me to do it, I'd be willing to give up being Chat Noir if that what it takes. I love her so much that it would be worth it.

_(From Marinette's POV)_

It was a tough night for me after Chat left. I tried going back to sleep, but my stomach was churning. I recently got to experience a future where an akumatized Chat Blanc had destroyed Paris after learning my identity. Granted this is a completely different scenario, but the fact is that Hawk Moth is still a massive threat. Having Chat find out my identity now, right after all of this additional responsibility had been dropped onto me, was especially troubling.

In spite of my apprehension, I decided I would try something. It was a long shot, and I had no idea whether or not it would actually work since it's never been tested. But the situation seemed to call for drastic measures.

I sat on the stair railing leading down from the loft and quickly slid down it, jumping off and onto the floor at the last second. Then I walked to my desk and sat down, found a blank piece of paper, and wrote today's date on it along with the current time. I folded the paper into a triangular "football" shape and sealed it inside a plastic sandwich bag. Then I grabbed a permanent marker along with the bag, and carried both of them downstairs.

I slipped out the side door and walked to an alleyway at the end of our building. After making sure no one saw me, I walked into the alley and went to a nearby downspout. I knelt down next to it and found the loose brick there. I gently worked it out, being careful not to disturb the mortar around it. I shoved the plastic bag inside of the opening, then replaced the brick as it was.

I then took the marker and drew a small X on the side of the downspout. Because of the overhang, the rain didn't often reach this part of the alley, except in the case of a torrential downpour. I rarely saw standing water there. In any case, the marker was supposed to be water-resistant.

After I climbed back up to my loft, I reached under the bed and retrieved the "box". It's really silly to keep calling it that in its current form. I guess it would be an ellipsoid? But that's way too hard to remember. After making my headache worse by thinking about mathematical terms, I gave up and flopped back down onto the bed, wrapped my arms around the cryptic case and hoped that someone, or something, would give me some answers.

Which, to my amazement, didn't take very long at all.


End file.
